The word "bin" means "son of" in Arabic. It may also be written as "ibn. " The female equivalent is "bint," meaning "daughter of. " There may be series of such patronymics in a name. These are used less often than in earlier centuries.

The name "Bin" in the middle of a name means "Son of. " It is similar to the O' prefix in Irish or Mc in Scotland (eg. O'Hare, McDonald. ) Osama Bin Laden's full name (westernised) is actually Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden.